Outside expert to be hired for Clarington transformer project

Politicians, residents want deeper monitoring wells, Hydro One says it will abide by third party's recommendations

Sally Hillis

Ryan Pfeiffer / Metroland

CLARINGTON -- Sally Hillis is a member of the Enniskillen Environmental Association, a group opposed to the building of a Hydro One transformer station on the Oak Ridges Moraine. July 14, 2014.

Sally Hillis

Ryan Pfeiffer / Metroland

CLARINGTON -- Sally Hillis, standing next to a resident's water well casing, is a member of the Enniskillen Environmental Association, a group opposed to the building of a Hydro One transformer station on the Oak Ridges Moraine. Clarington council passed a motion requiring Hydro One to drill monitoring wells for the station deeper than planned to properly safeguard the residents' water. July 14, 2014.

CLARINGTON -- An independent expert will be hired to decide how deep monitoring wells will be dug for the controversial Enniskillen transformer station project.

Representatives from the municipality, Hydro One and residents will meet Wednesday, July 16 to lay the groundwork for choosing who that outside party will be.

"The goal of the workshop is to determine the process for selecting a qualified, independent third party expert for the community to use as a resource during the construction of the station to ensure water quality is not affected," said Tiziana Baccega Rosa, senior media relations advisor for Hydro One.

The proposed transformer plant, set to be built on the Oak Ridges Moraine, dominated council's final meeting of the summer where representatives of Hydro One were on hand, seeking road allowances for work relocating power lines on the site. Following presentations from concerned residents on the effects of the proposed station, discussion turned to how deep Hydro One intended to drill to test well water quality.

Currently Hydro One's plans call for drilling well monitoring stations to depths of approximately 50 feet, but council is asking the company to drill to a depth of approximately 250 feet, a demand echoed by the Enniskillen Environmental Association.

"There are certain things you're asking of us and there are certain things that, unless it's changed tonight, that council is asking of Hydro One on behalf of the residents," said Councillor Joe Neal. "One of them is that you guys do proper drilling depth for the monitoring wells, not just 50 feet."

Brad Bowness, director, project management for Hydro One, said the ground monitoring plan has been approved by the company's hydrologists and the Ministry of the Environment, and any changes to it will need to be approved by the Ministry. "Our foundations for our structures go down 11 metres, that's the depth of our foundations, so that's the reason we're going down to the 50 feet," said Mr. Bowness.

He added the plan has an "adaptive nature," which leaves the door open to accepting recommendations from the third-party consultant.

"As part of the third-party independent process, if the recommendation coming back from that third party is that we drill deeper, we'll look to drill deeper," said Mr. Bowness.

The invitation-only July 16 workshop for choosing that third party is already being criticized by some set to take part in it.

Sally Hillis is a member of the Enniskillen Environmental Association and, while she says the meeting is important, her group still objects to the transformer station being built on the Oak Ridges Moraine altogether.

"We've never been against the building of the station, just the location of it," said Ms. Hillis.

She questions assurances previously made to her group by Hydro One and municipal staff about residents’ involvement in selecting the third party.

"We've been told we'd be part of the process, that we'd be working together and Hydro One is meeting with the municipal staff without us," said Ms. Hillis. "That's not transparency."

But according to David Chrome, Clarington's director of planning, that's "absolutely not true.

"We haven't met with Hydro One, we've had a phone conversation with a facilitator involved in the planning of the meeting," said Mr. Chrome. "We accept calls from the residents and from Hydro One."

The residents’ group is looking to arrange a meeting with the new provincial minister of the environment on the matter.

"We feel the Ministry hasn't been told the full story here," said Ms. Hillis.